Post by Jordan on May 28, 2012 22:45:59 GMT -5
1. Boston Celtics -Bernard King SF 6'7'' 205 20 A- C D+ C C A
At this point, King has become the guy you have to take at #1 in my opinion. He is going to be a great scorer and Spence has indicated that he has enough potential to correct most of his flaws. With Sonny Parker, Leonard Gray, James Edwards, and Quinn Buckner, the Celtics already have the personnel in place to run an inside offense. King will fit this perfectly and become their instant #1 option and would remain so for probably a decade. Since the Celtics used a lotto pick on Edwards last offseason, using another one on a center who can’t block or score all that well in the post makes little sense. King has to be the pick.
2. Indiana Pacers -Jack Sikma C 6'11'' 230 22 C+ B D+ B B+ A
The Packers already have their future at PG and SG set with John Lucas and Alex English, respectively. They could opt to take Michael Cooper to help cover English’s poor defense. The other option is to add a franchise piece in the post. Although Sikma is not a traditional big man, he will fit the Pacers well since they will likely be running an outside focus in the long term. He will also be an elite rebounder in a league that now lacks them. Sikma should be one of the few big men that does not block shots to have significant value.
3. Phoenix Suns - Michael Cooper SG 6'5'' 170 21 C+ C+ C+ B C+ A
The Suns have nothing to build upon. This gives them a lot of flexibility with both of their lotto picks. Cooper will be the most complete all around player in this draft. He is also more raw than several other prospects of similar quality. Since the Suns want to tank two more seasons, Cooper will be the best player to draft since he is likely to result in the least immediate success. Should the Suns opt to go another route, any of the next 5 or 6 players would make sense.
4. Washington Wizards- Marques Johnson SF 6'7'' 218 21 B+ C+ C B- C A
With Marvin Barnes, the Wizards already have one of the next stars of BBS. Marques Johnson could potentially give the Wizards a second allstar. He should be a very good scoring wing who doesn’t hurt you on defense or rebounding. Johnson will likely get moved to SG. Many may have Johnson going higher than Michael Cooper, but I think Cooper’s potential to become a great stats defender and plus rebounder makes him the better prospect. You probably can’t go wrong with either. By adding any of the top four prospects, the Wizards will be well on their way to being a very good team.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers - Norm Nixon PG 6'2'' 170 22 C+ C+ B B+ D A
The Cavaliers desperately need a PG. Nixon is the best PG prospect of this class and should be a good starter for a very long time. Considering the uncertainty of the remaining prospects, Nixon is not only a safe pick but also worth the fifth pick. He will immediately start for the Cavs and possibly help lead them to the playoffs next season.
6. Dallas Mavericks - Cedric Maxwell SF 6'8'' 205 21 B+ C C- B- C+ A
Dallas can go any direction he wants with this pick. Outside of Moses Malone, they have very little to build upon. I have Maxwell as the best player available and he is also probably the best pick for the Mavs. A player like Malone will be best utilized in an inside focus and Maxwell will fit that. He also will move either David Thompson or Ira Terrell to the bench. If they want a better scorer, Dallas could consider Otis Birdsong, but Greg has historically favored better defenders and rebounders. Maxwell has a big advantage in both those areas so he is the pick.
7. San Antonio Spurs -Otis Birdsong SG 6'3'' 190 21 B+ B C C D+ A
Since my rookie rankings, Spencer has revealed the Birdsong has 22 to 25ppg potential. This makes him move up my board a lot. While his defense and rebounding is lacking, this will not be a concern of the Spurs because of the great defense and rebounding already by Camby Russell and Michael Ray Richardson. Adding Birdsong will give the Spurs a potential 1-2-3 combo that will put up 75+ppg. With Lucas and Martin already in place, this pick makes a lot of sense in a draft with so much uncertainty.
8. New York Knicks (from New Orleans Hornets) - Kent Benson C 6'10'' 235 22 B- C- D+ B- B- A
Skillz got the last laugh this season with his success and the failure of the Hornets. He now has the eighth pick in the lotto to use towards his planned rebuild. There may be some debate on which big man to take here, but I think Benson should be the second one to go. Besides Sikma, Benson is the only big man who will be well rounded. His notes may not indicate that he will put up great defensive stats, but I think he will surprise. Something tells me this guy is going to be good.
9. Atlanta Hawks -Eddie Jordan PG 6'1'' 170 22 C+ C+ C+ A D+ B
With the CY coming up, the Hawks would probably be better off moving this pick. If they choose not to, Eddie Jordan probably makes the most sense. Fatty Taylor needs improved upon and Jordan could easily be better from Day 1. The Hawks could also opt for Mike Glenn who has already grown some comparisons to Ricky Francis. Should the Hawks decide to stay with Taylor at PG, adding a big man is the next greatest need. The Hawks already have three quality players there. They could use more blocks though. This would make both Wayne Cooper and Terry Tyler viable options.
10. Houston Rockets – Terry Tyler PF 6'7'' 215 21 B- C D+ A C+ B
Tyler is a player without a position. He can’t rebound well enough to be a starter at PF, and his shot blocking will be somewhat wasted at SF. He will likely end up as a supersub, but his lack of rebounding will still hurt him there. I also fear he may be a worse rebounding Gar Heard. If that is the case, no thank you. Regardless, Tyler will go in the lotto because they always do when their notes indicate he will put up good defensive stats.
11. Phoenix Suns (from Memphis Grizzlies) - Mike Glenn PG 6'2'' 175 22 C+ A- C C D B
Mike Glenn seems to be high on a lot of peoples draft boards. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Skillz take him if the Hornets pick does not move up. I’m not sure how Outlawz will feel about potentially wasting a lottery pick, but he is in a position to do it. He has two more seasons to rebuild and already added one very good piece for the future. Given the lack of top end talent in this draft, someone could reach for him much earlier than this.
12. San Antonio Spurs (from Philadelphia 76ers) - Wayne Cooper C 6'10'' 220 20 C+ C- D+ A- B B
Cooper is going to be your classic defensive/rebounding big man. While you can never have a shortage of these, his notes and comments since then do not indicate he will be good enough to ever be a starter. With the Spurs current makeup, this shouldn’t really matter. He will be a good addition to a team needing another big man. Cooper also presents descent value at pick 12.
13. Indiana Pacers (from Miami Heat) - Walter Davis SG 6'6'' 193 23 B B C+ C+ D+ A
As I’ve mentioned a few times already, there is a lot of uncertainty in this draft. Therefore, Davis could just as easily go in the top 10 as he will not in the lotto. It is safe to say that Davis will end up a starting wing at worst. Since these aren’t of great value anymore, I don’t know if someone will want to risk whether or not he becomes a top SG. However, Davis seems to be getting overlooked. If you look back to last seasons, everyone anointed Dantley the best wing. However, Alex English has since proven that everyone was mistaken. Will Davis do the same?
At this point, King has become the guy you have to take at #1 in my opinion. He is going to be a great scorer and Spence has indicated that he has enough potential to correct most of his flaws. With Sonny Parker, Leonard Gray, James Edwards, and Quinn Buckner, the Celtics already have the personnel in place to run an inside offense. King will fit this perfectly and become their instant #1 option and would remain so for probably a decade. Since the Celtics used a lotto pick on Edwards last offseason, using another one on a center who can’t block or score all that well in the post makes little sense. King has to be the pick.
2. Indiana Pacers -Jack Sikma C 6'11'' 230 22 C+ B D+ B B+ A
The Packers already have their future at PG and SG set with John Lucas and Alex English, respectively. They could opt to take Michael Cooper to help cover English’s poor defense. The other option is to add a franchise piece in the post. Although Sikma is not a traditional big man, he will fit the Pacers well since they will likely be running an outside focus in the long term. He will also be an elite rebounder in a league that now lacks them. Sikma should be one of the few big men that does not block shots to have significant value.
3. Phoenix Suns - Michael Cooper SG 6'5'' 170 21 C+ C+ C+ B C+ A
The Suns have nothing to build upon. This gives them a lot of flexibility with both of their lotto picks. Cooper will be the most complete all around player in this draft. He is also more raw than several other prospects of similar quality. Since the Suns want to tank two more seasons, Cooper will be the best player to draft since he is likely to result in the least immediate success. Should the Suns opt to go another route, any of the next 5 or 6 players would make sense.
4. Washington Wizards- Marques Johnson SF 6'7'' 218 21 B+ C+ C B- C A
With Marvin Barnes, the Wizards already have one of the next stars of BBS. Marques Johnson could potentially give the Wizards a second allstar. He should be a very good scoring wing who doesn’t hurt you on defense or rebounding. Johnson will likely get moved to SG. Many may have Johnson going higher than Michael Cooper, but I think Cooper’s potential to become a great stats defender and plus rebounder makes him the better prospect. You probably can’t go wrong with either. By adding any of the top four prospects, the Wizards will be well on their way to being a very good team.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers - Norm Nixon PG 6'2'' 170 22 C+ C+ B B+ D A
The Cavaliers desperately need a PG. Nixon is the best PG prospect of this class and should be a good starter for a very long time. Considering the uncertainty of the remaining prospects, Nixon is not only a safe pick but also worth the fifth pick. He will immediately start for the Cavs and possibly help lead them to the playoffs next season.
6. Dallas Mavericks - Cedric Maxwell SF 6'8'' 205 21 B+ C C- B- C+ A
Dallas can go any direction he wants with this pick. Outside of Moses Malone, they have very little to build upon. I have Maxwell as the best player available and he is also probably the best pick for the Mavs. A player like Malone will be best utilized in an inside focus and Maxwell will fit that. He also will move either David Thompson or Ira Terrell to the bench. If they want a better scorer, Dallas could consider Otis Birdsong, but Greg has historically favored better defenders and rebounders. Maxwell has a big advantage in both those areas so he is the pick.
7. San Antonio Spurs -Otis Birdsong SG 6'3'' 190 21 B+ B C C D+ A
Since my rookie rankings, Spencer has revealed the Birdsong has 22 to 25ppg potential. This makes him move up my board a lot. While his defense and rebounding is lacking, this will not be a concern of the Spurs because of the great defense and rebounding already by Camby Russell and Michael Ray Richardson. Adding Birdsong will give the Spurs a potential 1-2-3 combo that will put up 75+ppg. With Lucas and Martin already in place, this pick makes a lot of sense in a draft with so much uncertainty.
8. New York Knicks (from New Orleans Hornets) - Kent Benson C 6'10'' 235 22 B- C- D+ B- B- A
Skillz got the last laugh this season with his success and the failure of the Hornets. He now has the eighth pick in the lotto to use towards his planned rebuild. There may be some debate on which big man to take here, but I think Benson should be the second one to go. Besides Sikma, Benson is the only big man who will be well rounded. His notes may not indicate that he will put up great defensive stats, but I think he will surprise. Something tells me this guy is going to be good.
9. Atlanta Hawks -Eddie Jordan PG 6'1'' 170 22 C+ C+ C+ A D+ B
With the CY coming up, the Hawks would probably be better off moving this pick. If they choose not to, Eddie Jordan probably makes the most sense. Fatty Taylor needs improved upon and Jordan could easily be better from Day 1. The Hawks could also opt for Mike Glenn who has already grown some comparisons to Ricky Francis. Should the Hawks decide to stay with Taylor at PG, adding a big man is the next greatest need. The Hawks already have three quality players there. They could use more blocks though. This would make both Wayne Cooper and Terry Tyler viable options.
10. Houston Rockets – Terry Tyler PF 6'7'' 215 21 B- C D+ A C+ B
Tyler is a player without a position. He can’t rebound well enough to be a starter at PF, and his shot blocking will be somewhat wasted at SF. He will likely end up as a supersub, but his lack of rebounding will still hurt him there. I also fear he may be a worse rebounding Gar Heard. If that is the case, no thank you. Regardless, Tyler will go in the lotto because they always do when their notes indicate he will put up good defensive stats.
11. Phoenix Suns (from Memphis Grizzlies) - Mike Glenn PG 6'2'' 175 22 C+ A- C C D B
Mike Glenn seems to be high on a lot of peoples draft boards. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Skillz take him if the Hornets pick does not move up. I’m not sure how Outlawz will feel about potentially wasting a lottery pick, but he is in a position to do it. He has two more seasons to rebuild and already added one very good piece for the future. Given the lack of top end talent in this draft, someone could reach for him much earlier than this.
12. San Antonio Spurs (from Philadelphia 76ers) - Wayne Cooper C 6'10'' 220 20 C+ C- D+ A- B B
Cooper is going to be your classic defensive/rebounding big man. While you can never have a shortage of these, his notes and comments since then do not indicate he will be good enough to ever be a starter. With the Spurs current makeup, this shouldn’t really matter. He will be a good addition to a team needing another big man. Cooper also presents descent value at pick 12.
13. Indiana Pacers (from Miami Heat) - Walter Davis SG 6'6'' 193 23 B B C+ C+ D+ A
As I’ve mentioned a few times already, there is a lot of uncertainty in this draft. Therefore, Davis could just as easily go in the top 10 as he will not in the lotto. It is safe to say that Davis will end up a starting wing at worst. Since these aren’t of great value anymore, I don’t know if someone will want to risk whether or not he becomes a top SG. However, Davis seems to be getting overlooked. If you look back to last seasons, everyone anointed Dantley the best wing. However, Alex English has since proven that everyone was mistaken. Will Davis do the same?
